Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a system for uniquely identifying each one of two or more intravenous (IV) lines that may be simultaneously employed to deliver drugs intravenously to one or more patients respectively from two or more containers (such as IV bags or bottles).
There are medical situations, such as emergency rooms, trauma centers, and wards, in which two or more patients are simultaneously receiving IV drugs. Also, a single hospital patient often requires the administration of multiple IV drugs delivered separately, but simultaneously, through two or more separate IV sets, at widely different dosage rates. In such situations, it is necessary to assure that each container of drug solution is properly matched to the correct IV line and from there to the correct patient. Confusion in matching these elements must be avoided to assure that each drug is administered in the proper dosage to the proper patient, lest a patient be injured through the administration of the wrong drug or an improper dose of the correct drug. Additionally, there have been numerous instances of contraindicated medications being introduced into an IV line at a xe2x80x9cY-sitexe2x80x9d or an in-line port, with possible endangerment of the patient. To date, efforts to avoid such confusion have largely been ad hoc. For example, medical personnel may attach numbered pieces of adhesive tape to IV containers and to IV lines to match them up properly. Still, a more reliable mechanism has been sought to achieve these ends.
Broadly, the present invention is a system for identifying IV administration set components, wherein the IV set includes an IV solution container, a drip chamber having a hollow spike for introduction into the container, and an IV line for delivering the IV solution to a patient, wherein the system comprises a first identification element that is removably attached to the drip chamber for subsequent attachment to the container; a second identification element permanently affixed to the drip chamber; and a third identification element attached to a Y-site or port in the IV line.
In a specific preferred embodiment, the first identification element is a strip or patch that is adhesively attached to the drip chamber in a manner that will allow it to be removed therefrom for subsequent attachment to the IV solution container. The second identification element is a marker, preferably a strip or a patch, that is permanently affixed to the drip chamber. The third identification element is attached to a Y-site or port that is part of the IV line. The third identification element may be an integral part of the Y-site or port, or it may be removably attached to it. The first, second, and third identification elements bear matching identification symbols. In the context of this invention, the term xe2x80x9csymbolxe2x80x9d is deemed to encompass one or more letters, numbers, geometric shapes, abstract shapes, colors, and any combination of these elements. The term xe2x80x9csymbolxe2x80x9d may also include a color alone.
Viewed another way, the system of the invention comprises a matched set of plural identification elements bearing matching identification symbols, wherein a first one of the set is attachable to the IV container; a second one of the set is attached to the drip chamber; and a third one of the set is attached to the IV line remote from the first and second identification elements in the set. In practice, the system will advantageously include two or more such matched sets of identification elements, each set bearing a unique identification symbol. In the context of this invention, however, the term xe2x80x9csystemxe2x80x9d is meant to encompass one or more such matched sets of identification elements.